My life : a record of events and opinions - Wallace-online.org

MESMERISM TO SPIRITUALISM 341the door-post and marked his height, and on oneoccasion Mr. Hensleigh Wedgwood brought with hima shoe-maker's measuring-rule, and at our request,Abdullah, as he gave his name, took off a sandal,placed his foot on a chair, and allowed it to beaccurately measured with the sliding-rule. After thesiance Mr. Haxby removed his boot and had his footmeasured by the same rule, when that of the figurewas found to be full one inch and a quarter the longer,while in height it was about half a foot taller. Aminute or two after Abdullah had retired into thesmall room, Haxby was found in a trance in his chair,while no trace of the white-robed stranger was to beseen. The door and window of the back room weresecurely fastened, and often secured with gummedpaper, which was found intact.On another occasion I was present in a privatehouse when a very similar figure appeared with themedium Eglinton before a large party of spiritualistsand inquirers. In this case the conditions were evenmore stringent and the result absolutely conclusive.A corner of the room had a curtain hung across it,enclosing a space just large enough to hold a chair forthe medium. I and others examined this corner andfound the walls solid and the carpet nailed down. Themedium on arrival came at once into the room, andafter a short period of introductions seated himself inthe corner. There was a lighted gas-chandelier in theroom, which was turned down so as just to permitus to see each other. The figure, beautifully robed,passed round the room, allowed himself to be touched,his robes, hands, and feet examined closely by allpresent— I think sixteen or eighteen persons. Everyone was delighted, but to make the stance a test one,several of the medium's friends begged him to allow